In Advent we began a new
liturgical year with a focus on Luke’s gospel. There have been
enough exceptions since then to distract us. But today, you will
have noticed, we are beginning our "year of Luke" in earnest. From
now till the end of this liturgical year we will move through Luke
in a more-or-less sequential fashion. So, today’s gospel reading
starts with the prologue and an account of Jesus’ first preaching.
We are at the beginning of his public ministry and, in a way, ours
as well.

I have to confess my first thought
on seeing today’s gospel – "here we go again." I have been though
this cycle before – many times before. As a preacher and worshiper I
wonder, "What new message and insights can I possibly gain from this
gospel? What new ways can my heart, mind and spirit be moved by this
all-too familiar account? From a preacher’s perspective I wonder if
I can find a fresh approach and, yes, enthusiasm to do this cycle
again? Anyone else feel the way I do?

Maybe Luke thinks his readers are
in a similar frame of mind. There have been, he says to Theophilus,
many who have attempted "to compile a narrative of the events that
have been fulfilled among us." But, he says, he has decided to write
this "orderly sequence" so that Theophilus "...may realize the
certainty of the teachings you have received." Was Luke’s community
also too familiar with the story of Jesus? Did the story lack
freshness and was it just part of their religious wallpaper – there
– but taken for granted in the daily rush of life?

At the beginning of Luke we are
like people setting out on a journey that will take us to different
places and introduce us to a variety of people. Many we meet will be
needy and searching; others will be friendly and help us on our way;
while still others, will be hostile and try to toss doubts and
objections along our path. We will change as we travel through
Luke’s gospel. The narratives will nurture us and address issues
that have arisen in the world and our personal lives since we last
heard these passages in our assembly three years ago. Even if our
lives seem to be pretty much the same, in truth, nothing is as it
was early in 2016.

But the Word of God is not
stagnant. It isn’t an old story for and about days long gone. The
grammar of the gospel may sound "past tense," but it is very much
"present tense." At least it can be present tense for faithful eyes
and ears. So, if the liturgical year starts on a note of "deja vu,
all over again" (to borrow Yogi Berra’s phrase), then we may need a
blessing before we start out on our journey. Actually, our travels
through Luke and this year’s liturgical celebrations, are less
tourist adventures and more pilgrimage. We are traveling to a holy
place with rest and prayer stops along the way. And, just as the
pilgrims of old, we travel together.

We pilgrims begin our travels
invoking a blessing – for a breath of new life and a yearning for
renewed enthusiasm, joy and celebration in our faith walk. We invoke
the Spirit in a special way as we read about the preacher Jesus’
proclamation that, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me...." As we
prepare for this cycle of preaching, we ask that the Spirit set a
fire that reignites our preaching gifts and enthusiasm for the Word.
O Holy Spirit, help us feel the fire of the Word in our belly and
the passion to proclaim it in our hearts, "in season and out of
season."

What we say about preachers
applies to all the baptized. All are called by our baptism to
proclaim "glad tidings" by our words and actions. This gospel, after
all, is not only for preachers, but for all who have entered the
waters and been united with Christ in his life, death and
resurrection. A faithful hearing of Luke’s gospel will reinforce our
call as we again receive the mandate to proclaim the reign of God
that Jesus will give later in the gospel to the seventy two (10:9).

Today’s passage shows what is true
in all of Luke: Jesus’s ministry is under the movement and activity
of the Holy Spirit. We heard John the Baptist say that the one who
was to come would baptize with the Spirit. The work of that Spirit,
Jesus makes plain today, is that of freedom from sin and all forms
of imprisonment. Jesus preaches using images drawn from familiar
Jewish jubilee themes. What the poor, imprisoned and oppressed have
yearned for, has become a reality in Jesus, "a year acceptable to
the Lord," a jubilee, has been proclaimed. What was a hope in the
hearts of the Jewish people has become a reality in Christ.
Emptiness has been fulfilled. As we hear the text we take its
present-tense timing to heart. It is meant for us – now. In his
"inaugural speech" Jesus is not saying that someday in the future
the forgotten of the world will be recognized and their needs
addressed. Rather, he says, these needs are presently being
addressed. Jesus is speaking of both physical and spiritual release
as he announces a "year acceptable to the Lord." The jubilee imagery
is drawn from Leviticus (25: 8-55) and no Jew would miss the
implications.

At times we can over-spiritualize
the scriptures. What the people anticipated when a jubilee year was
proclaimed, was a release from whatever oppressed a person or
community – be it spiritual, or material enslavement. Jesus declares
total release. He is speaking of actions that have begun to take
place with his arrival and Luke is inviting his community to notice
a similar release and freedom happening in the church of his time.
Luke is pointing to such liberating acts and in telling this account
hoping to encourage his community’s participation in actions that
free people from whatever enslaves, or weighs them down. What Jesus
announced as arriving with his ministry, is supposed to be happening
in our time as well. A new president of the U.S. gives an inaugural
speech which outlines what are supposed to be the policies and
actions during the president’s administration. Jesus’ inaugural
speech announces not only what will happen during his "term of
office," but what will characterize the lives of his followers as
well.

As we go through this year with
Luke we will see concrete signs of what Jesus announced in the
Nazareth synagogue that day – the poor have glad tidings announced
and enacted in their midst. We preachers and worshipers gather and
we pray for the Spirit to loosen our tongues and enliven our hearts
so that we preach and live what we hear today and throughout the
days of the "year of Luke."

As we come to the close of our
first month of the New Year, how are you coming along with all your
resolutions? It is hard to stay on course even with the best of
intentions; sometimes life interrupts. That is why it is necessary
to give yourself time to reflect.

We also conclude the Week of
Prayer for Christian Unity, inspired by Deuteronomy 16:20 "Justice,
Only Justice, You Shall Pursue." The USCCB Poverty Awareness
reflection for today captures the spirit of this theme with quotes
from two church documents. "Each individual Christian and every
community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation
and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part
of society. . . ‘The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by
love for mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond
to it with all her might’ ["Libertatis Nuntius"]. In this
context we can understand Jesus’ command to his disciples: "You
yourselves give them something to eat! [Mk 6:37]; it means working
to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the
integral development of the poor, as well as small acts of
solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter" ("EvangeliiGaudium" nos. 187-188). The command of the Lord is clear.

The reflection concludes with this
challenge: "How are you opening your heart to hear ‘the cry for
justice’? Use the Newspaper Prayer to open your heart to hear this
cry and discern how you can respond to the needs of those in your
community and in the world."

Look through a
print or online newspaper to find a news article about an issue that
affects your community or the world. Cut out (or print out) the
article and bring it with you to a quiet place where you can pray.
Think about how human dignity is affected by the issue or situation.
Pray for God’s healing and transformation for all people impacted,
lawmakers, and others. Ask God how he is asking you to respond to
this issue

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for
persons on the run. "Faith Book" is also brief enough to be posted
in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Gospel reading:

Jesus unrolled the scroll and found
the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me....

God has sent me to proclaim....

a year acceptable to the Lord.

Reflection:

Jesus tells his hearers, "Today
this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke is
reminding us we don't have to wait for some future time and place
for God to come to set us free, it is happening "Today." The One
anointed with the Spirit enables us now to be in right relationship
with God and one another.

So we ask ourselves:

Where in my life do I not
feel free from fear, guilt, the past, etc?

In faith, can I embrace the
truth of Christ’s words for me today: he has come to proclaim
liberty?

It is still not too late to make a
new year’s resolution you can keep. Why not consider a monthly note
to an inmate on death row? These inmates are the most forgotten
people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space
several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to "adopt" one of
them as a pen pal. This Christian work can be a powerful experience
If you like, tell your new friend you got his name from North
Carolina’s, "People of Faith Against the Death Penalty." Thanks,
Jude Siciliano, OP

Please write to:

Rayford L. Burkes
#0057308 (On death row since 4/1/93)

John Burr #0058316
(4/21/93)

Eugene Decastro
#0104984 (4/28/93)

----Central Prison 4285 Mail
Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4285

For more information on the
Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing
Network:

is a service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday
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If you are a preacher, lead a
Lectionary-based scripture group, or are a member of a liturgical
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Individual worshipers report they also use these reflections as they
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as well as articles, book reviews, daily homilies and other material
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4. "First Impressions" is a
service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday
worship. It is sponsored by the Dominican Friars. If you would like
"First Impressions" sent weekly to a friend, send a note to
fr. John Boll, OP at the above email address.